Information sources of emergency physicians in the Covid-19 crisis

Abstract

Introduction. Our research is set in the context of the second and third waves of the Covid-19 pandemic within the emergency medical aid service of Paris. It examines how emergency physicians seek and find information during a health crisis, which is crucial for their decision-making and ensuring effective patient care. In this paper, we study the information sources used by emergency physicians and the factors that affect their use.

Method. This qualitative study employs methodological triangulation to enhance the validity and depth of our findings. Using the sensemaking methodology and grounded theory, our data was collected through 24 hours of in situ observation and 19 interviews (totalling over 13 hours of recordings).

Analysis. The collected data was assembled and analysed using the NVivo qualitative data analysis software. The content analyses were theory-driven, according to emerging concepts relative to information behaviour.

Results. We show that, during a public health crisis, emergency physicians from our study rely chiefly on professional medical information from official sources. We also identify the various ways physicians acquire information. Trust appears to be a major factor affecting the choice of sources of information, especially in times of crisis.

Conclusions. Our study underscores the difficulties encountered in managing information redundancy, quality and sharing during crises. The results could be employed to improve information management strategies among health institutions and the provision of information sources necessary for effective health care.